News and Prophecy Staff

As Syria’s President Assad clings to power, rebel forces tighten their grip on Damascus. Rebels have captured military bases and are now closing in on Damascus, as Assad’s regime bombs more of the city’s suburbs.

Although many critics deny the Bible as an accurate historical source, evidence to the contrary continues to surface.

On December 14, a 20-year old gunman shot his mother (the parent he lived with) and then gunned down the principal, five teachers, and twenty children (ages 5-10) at a local Connecticut elementary school (Associated Press, December 14, 2012; Good Morning America, December 14, 2012).

As New Zealand’s Parliament presses ahead to legalize same-sex marriage, the nation’s slide into immorality is also gaining momentum.  Recently, four independent commissioners cleared the way for the construction in the heart of Auckland of a fifteen-story entertainment complex containing a number of brothels (Steve Hopkins, “Central Auckland Super Brothel Approved,” November 30, 2012).

The drought that is ravaging over two-thirds of the U.S. is also taking its toll on the central artery of U.S. trade and commerce, the mighty Mississippi River. Sixty percent of all grain exported from the U.S. travels down the Mississippi (National Park Service), in addition to vast quantities of other products. By mid-December, water levels in some parts of the river will be so low that experts believe all commerce through these portions may come to a stand-still unless the U.S.